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A NARROW ESCAPE 


When paddling under a bank a puff-adder launched itself at Arnot, but one of the 
boatmen hurled his spear at the reptile and pinned it tothe ground. (See p. 15). 


‘ARNOT OF 


A FEARLESS PIONEER, A ZEALOUS MISS 
ff A TRUE KNIGHT OF THE CROSS 





BY 


NIGEL B. M.“GRAHAME, B.A. 


AUTHOR OF ‘‘JUDSON OF BURMA,” “‘HANNINGTON OF AFRICA,” 
“ BISHOP BOMPAS OF THE FROZEN NORTH” 
&c. &c. 


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 





NEW YORK 
GEORGE H, DORAN COMPANY 


1926 














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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


A NARROW ESCAPE m ¥ A : Frontispiece 

PAGE 
SAVING THE LARDER . ; : ; , 39 
A STRANGE CEREMONY : , j : 51 
A SURPRISED PORTER ‘ , ; : 57 


PUBLISHERS’ NOTE 


THE contents of this volume have been 
in the main drawn from “Arnot, a 
Knight of Africa,’ by the Rev, Ernest 
Baker, author of ‘‘The Life and Ex- 
plorations of F, 8, Arnot,” 





ARNOT OF AFRICA 


CHAPTER I 


NE of the greatest and bravest travellers of modern 

times was Frederick Stanley Arnot. He ventured 

into Central Africa in the days before railways ran 
inland, before strong European governments took charge of 
the various countries, when the great black nations were 
constantly at war, and when white men would only go explor- 
ing when accompanied with large armed forces with which to 
beat down opposition. In those days Arnot went alone and 
unarmed, except for the purposes of shooting game and defend- 
ing himself against the attacks of wild beasts. He had no 
Society at his back. He had but little money and was unable 
to take those things that make travelling easy. He learned 
the languages of the natives as he proceeded, faced great 
native chiefs who were noted for their cruelty and ferocity, 
and won his way into the hearts of great and small. For 
seven years he explored and worked without white companions 
on his journeys. This was a period crowded with adventure ; 
dangers from savages, wild beasts, serpents, fevers, storms, 
desert journeys and hunger, facing him all the while. He 
came out of it, having succeeded in discovering what he went 
to find. 

He went back to Central Africa eight times after this, 
making nine journeys in all. Without reckoning the tens of 
thousands of miles that he had to travel on the ocean to get 
to Africa and back, without counting the journeys around the 
coast from port to port, and without including the long dis- 
tances he was able to go in the latter part of his life by train 

7 


8 Arnot of Africa 


over the railways that had then been built, it is estimated that 
he covered 29,000 miles in all, on foot, in hammocks, on the 
backs of donkeys or oxen, or in canoes. This is a record that 
has probably never been surpassed in Africa, and it is doubtful 
if many have equalled it in other parts of the world. 

Arnot was 23 years of age when he started for Africa. He 
went on his own responsibility. 

He travelled to Africa with a young man who purposed 
to be his companion and helper, but, on reaching Durban in 
August, 1881, this friend took ill, and was told by a doctor 
that he was physically unfit for the journey to the interior. 
So Arnot had to proceed alone. 

At that time the railway only went as far as Pietermaritz- 
burg, about 70 miles inland. To this town Arnot proceeded 
to make arrangements for further progress. Here he had the 
first of the many marvellous escapes that he was to have in 
Africa, He was on his way to a meeting when a tremendous 
thunderstorm came on. An electric ball fell just at his feet, 
and the stones and dust kicked up by its contact with the 
ground flew all around him. The shock passed through his 
whole body. Those who saw the ball of fire fall said it seemed 
to come right down where he stood, and that the noise made 
by it, when it struck the ground, was like the crash of a cannon 
ball. He was none the worse, however, for the adventure, 
and was able to speak to the gathering assembled to hear him. 

At Maritzburg Arnot made arrangements with a transport 
rider, who was taking a number of waggons to Potchefstroom 
in the Transvaal, to allow him to travel so far with him. Each 
waggon had a span of from 16 to 20 oxen. Arnot said it looked 
stupid to see so many oxen drawing one waggon over the level 
roads in a town, but when one saw them out in the country 
dragging it through a quagmire, with great boulders of stone 
hidden in the mud every few yards, and then up a tremendously 
steep hill, one wondered how they managed to get along at 
all. Sometimes the oxen of three or four waggons (40 to 60 


Arnot of Africa 9 


in number) would have to be inspanned together to get one 
waggon up an unusually steep hill or out of some river bed. 

Whilst visiting the neighbouring town of Klerksdorp he met 
the famous lion-hunter, Mr. F. C. Selous. This gentleman 
was making arrangements to go to Shoshong, the capital of 
the Bamangwato in Bechuanaland, under the rule of the 
great chief Khama. When he found that Armot wanted to 
reach the same place, he gave him a hearty invitation to 
travel with him. This was joyfully accepted. Upon return- 
ing to Potchefstroom to gather up his belongings, Arnot found 
that the woman who did his washing had left with all that 
he had entrusted to her, and also that the Hollander who 
had given him permission to graze his mule on his ground 
had ridden off with it to Kimberley. 

-A long-continued drought in these parts compelled the 
travellers to remain for a fortnight on the banks of the Limpopo 
River for the sake of water for the oxen, and whilst here their 
waggon was daily visited by bushmen. 

Heavy rains having fallen, the journey across the dry desert 
lying between the Limpopo and Shoshong was crossed, and 
the latter place reached on March 11th, 1882, after thirty-six 
days’ travelling from Potchefstroom. 

Arnot stayed in Shoshong for three months, and had in 
that time a wonderful and encouraging object lesson of the 
power of the Gospel over an African chief. Shoshong was 
then the capital of the Bamangwato, and Khama had been 
in power for ten years, long enough to demonstrate what a 
Christian ruler, with autocratic power, could do for his people. 
No other South African chief has ever attempted one half of 
what Khama had done for those under his rule. 


LO Arnot of Africa 


CHAPTER II 


On June 8th, 1882, Arnot left Khama’s capital for the Zambezi. 
The chief arranged for him to leave in the company of a party, 
which, under the charge of his leading hunter, he was sending 
across the Kalahari desert to the Mababi, a people living on 
its northern edge. This hunter’s name was Tinka, and he was 
a man who knew every inch of the desert route. 

The greatest danger of the desert journey was due, of course, 
to the lack of water. And the month of June comes in the 
midst of the dry season in the greater part of South Africa. 
The water holes and pans were drying up. Scouts had to be 
sent out to search for water, and frequently these would return 
with the report that there was only sufficient for half the oxen. 
Once, after travelling forty hours from the last water, they 
reached a well, only to find it almost dry. The oxen had then 
been three days without water, and as there was only enough 
for the men, the oxen and donkeys had to go another half a 
day before getting a drink. Arnot said they always seemed 
to be on the brink of disaster. The wells were few and far 
between, and many of them so deep that to water a span of 
oxen was no light task. The men had to climb up and down 
with pails of water. 

More than once the travellers owed their lives to the bush- 
men. These wild men appeared to Arnot to be in a very 
degenerate condition, but their faculties and senses were 
sharpened to a remarkable degree. As they move about they 
allow nothing to escape their notice. They “read ” the path, 
and can tell, not only the name of an animal that has crossed 
it during the night, but the time of night it happened to pass. 
They seem to know instinctively where water is likely to be 
found. At one stage of their journey the bushmen told them 
that they would not find water in any wells or pans for ten 
days. Water barrels were therefore cleaned and filled at the 


Arnot of Africa II 


Botletle River, which they crossed about half-way through 
the desert. Beyond this the sand proved unusually heavy. 
The dry air and blistering sun seemed as if it would make their 
skin like that of Egyptian mummies. The water gave out 
before the ten days were up. The cattle were six days without 
anything to drink, “the longest time,” Arnot says, ** that 
they have been known to live without water.’ Almost un- 
expectedly they came upon a little pan of surface water, which 
the donkeys and oxen emptied. But for that the animals 
would have been lost. And but for the bushmen the people 
themselves would not have got through. 

Another danger to which the travellers were exposed in this 
journey was that of wild beasts. This danger was principally 
incurred through travelling by night. And as water was 
scarce, they were compelled so to travel. If a party keep 
well together and do not scatter, the danger is small, as a lion 
will not attack a company. When they did camp at night 
the natives would cut down a lot of thorn bushes, and make 
with them a thick fence, called a ‘‘ scherm.” Two large fires 
would be placed at the opening, thus forming a complete 
protection. Very seldom will a lion break into a “ scherm,” 
although at times they will walk round one all night. 

One night Arnot’s dog, Judy, started barking at. his side. 
He looked up and told her to be quiet. In a short time, how- 
ever, she started barking again; then followed a deep growl, 
with a rush, and poor Judy squeaked her last. Arnot had 
scarcely time to look up before a leopard had cleared the fires 
and was off, 

When they emerged from the desert and reached the Mababi, 
Tinka, and the other men from Khama’s country, with whom 
Arnot had travelled, had to return. Arnot, therefore, had to 
make his own arrangements for proceeding. From the villages 
of the Basubia he engaged fifteen natives. He was to have 
many trying experiences with carriers, and it is therefore 
interesting to read of his apprenticeship to this work. 


12 Arnot of Africa 


In the journey from the Mabibi River to the River Chobe, 
which flows into the Zambezi, Arnot and his party suffered 
much from the want of water, in a similar way to that described 
above, and this was partly the reason for the first grumbling. 
The men began to complain that their loads were too heavy. 
One afternoon they made quite a revolt and demanded gun- 
powder, Bringing their loads to Arnot they laid them down 
saying they would go no further, but would go home unless 
he gave them powder. Arnot simply sat down beside the 
stuff, looked at them awhile and said it was all right, and they 
should go pleasantly. This rather amused them. Their scowl- 
ing faces relaxed a bit, but they soon began again. This time 
they tried with threatenings and impudence to rouse his 
temper. He answered all their talk with “I hear you,” until 
they gradually subsided and soon began to shoulder their 
sticks. 

When they reached Leshuma the natives would not enter 
the town until Arnot had gone on to see if the way was clear. 
‘The place, which had been a trading station, was nearly de- 
serted, only a few women and children being left. When his 
men heard this they stole down from the hills, deposited their 
bundles and demanded their pay. They refused to go on to 
Panda-ma-tenka, the next stage of the journey. All but two 
desired to go back. Arnot was therefore faced with the pros- 
pect of being left in the centre of Africa with three donkeys 
and two natives. It would have been impossible to go much 
further with such a caravan, as it would have been out of the 
question for these to carry his necessary stores. There were 
no other natives living near who could be secured. All had 
fled before a scouring band of Matabele from the south. After 
a deal of talking Arnot paid the men off as desired, and then 
gathering them together gave them a long address. For an 
hour he harangued them, pointing out their cruelty in thus 
deserting him. He told them he would have to leave all his 
goods to be stolen, or else he would have to burn them. He 





Arnot of Africa 13 


asked them how they would answer to their chief, Khama, for 
their actions, and also how they would answer to God for 
leaving his servant to perish in the desert. Six eventually 
decided to go on with Arnot. 


CHAPTER III 


It was Arnot’s intention to cross the Zambezi and make for 
the uplands between the sources of the River Zambezi and the 
Congo, but he found he could not cross the intervening country 
without passing through the capital of the Barotse. Mr. 
Coillard, a French missionary, had already promised Liwanika 
the king to settle in Barotsiland, but circumstances had 
detained him, so Arnot judged that events were calling him 
to pioneer in that country till Coillard could come. 

Arnot proceeded up the Zambezi in the company of a Mr. 
Blockley, a trader. One night, when journeying away from 
the river, they lay down under some trees by a clear stream of 
water, trusting to big fires to keep the lions off. Tired out, 
however, with a long walk of ten or twelve miles through grass 
and bush, the party all fell asleep, and the fires went out. It 
so happened that they lay down beside a game pit, and a huge 
lion, stealing up to them in the night, fell into it. The men 
speared it in the morning. If Arnot and his companion had 
slept on the other side of the pit, the one or the other would 
undoubtedly have been killed. 

The boatmen on the Zambezi gave him as much anxiety as 
his carriers had done in the earlier part of his journey. On 
one occasion they landed him and his stuff on the bank of the 
river, and told him that Shesheke, the town to which he was 
then going, was close by, and that they had landed him there 
to avoid a long bend in the river. They returned down the 
river, and Arnot found he had a long six hours’ walk, mostly 
through a labyrinth of broken-down reeds, with mud and 
slush underneath, 


14 Arnot of Africa 


On another occasion they tried to frighten Arnot into deal- 
ing out to them some extra rations. Going up to a small 
reed-covered island they all landed, professing to be tired. 
As it was not safe to sit in the canoes when they were still, 
as the crocodiles had a trick of coming alongside slyly and 
whisking one into the water with their tails, Arnot got out 
with the men, spread his mat, lay down, and read a book. 
The men then stole back to the boat and suddenly pushed out 
into middle stream, saying they would not take him further 
unless he promised to pay them more. Arnot lay. perfectly 
still, however, never even looking at them or letting them 
know that he heard what they said. After having pulled 
down stream for some miles, going quite out of sight, they 
returned and begged him to enter the boat. -Arnot pretended 
to be annoyed at their hurry, shut his book, and got in. Off 
they went, the men rowing as they had not done before to make 
up for lost time. 

But though these river men had a bad character, and were 
fond of blackmailing, Arnot had again and again proof of their | 
kindness in other ways. When they saw that he could not eat 
the boiled corn, the dried elephant’s flesh, and the putrid meat 
stolen from the crocodiles’ larders, which was their usual food, 
one or other would get him some milk, meal, or other delicacy 
from a village. 

Having received word at Shesheke from the king that he 
could journey to the capital, Arnot returned to Panda-ma- 
tenka to replenish his stores for the journey. Returning he 
had to cross a desert by a road where there was no water. His 
carriers seized all the water they were carrying and demanded 
payment for it. While they were in that mood Arnot was 
smitten with a fever. Having tramped over forty miles 
through the desert, he lay down and very soon became un- 
conscious. The carriers went on, leaving him with a little 
boy. Recovering consciousness, but unable to move, Arnot 
had to send this little chap through thirty miles of dangerous | 


Arnot of Africa 15 


country to tell Mr. Blockley of his position. For two nights 
and a day he tossed about suffering agonies from thirst and 
from the blazing sun. Vultures hovered overhead by day, 
and at night he could hear the whoop of the hyenas in the 
distance. On the third day he heard the crack of Mr. Blockley’s 
whip, and knew that his little messenger had not failed him. 

For five weeks after this Arnot was so ill that he was unable 
to proceed. When at last he did go on, he was so weak that 
he could not follow the path, but wandered off it and was 
unable to call back his guide. Night came on and he lay down 
alone, between two boulders. There he felt fairly comfortable, 
as the rocks were still radiating the heat caught from the sun 
in the day. After a while he heard footsteps, and, looking up, 
saw the figure of a man, with a gun over his shoulder, walking 
slowly in the direction from which he had himself come. With 
an effort Arnot was able to call and attract his attention, when 
he found it was one of the Bushmen, whom he had hired, out 
in search of him. With his help he was able to reach the next 
village before midnight. The natives there provided him with 
a hut to sleep in and brought him food. But it was fully ten 
days before he sufficiently recovered. 

Upon arriving at Shesheke Arnot collapsed, and lay so still 
that his men thought he was dead. They drew his blanket 
over him and went off to arrange with Ratua, the chief, for 
his burial. Ratua pointed out a clump of trees, and told them 
to dig his grave there. Fortunately Arnot showed signs of 
life when the men returned from the chief, and the funeral 
proceedings were stopped. With a plentiful supply of fresh 
milk he soon picked up, and was able to go with the canoes 
which Liwanika had sent for him. 

When rounding a point the boat was passing along the side 
of a steep bank, covered with a network of roots, in the midst 
of which the paddler in front of Arnot spied a puff-adder 
coiled up. The paddler immediately threw his spear at the 
snake, which instantly uncoiled itself and struck at its assailant, 


16 Arnot of Africa 


grazing Arnot’s hat with its fangs. The spear, however, had 
done its work, pinning the lower part of its body to the ground, 
and in a short time the men killed it. 

At one part of the journey up the river the villages were 
deserted through fear of invaders coming up the river, and 
Arnot and his men were dependent entirely upon what they 
might kill in the bush for food. In this, he says, they were 
unfortunate, and they were obliged to have recourse to rather 
mean ways of getting their supper. Crocodiles abound in the 
Zambezi, and they are very artful. When the larger game 
come down to drink the crocs creep up, and, seizing them by 
the nose, drag them under the water. They hide the food thus 
obtained under the river’s bank until it becomes rather putrid. 
Then they bring it to the surface for airing before eating. 
Arnot used to lie on the bank of the river and watch these 
crocodiles coming up, with perhaps a quarter of an antelope, 
and by firing at their heads he compelled them to drop their 
supper, which his men picked up from their boats. 

Other experiences on the river were with storms. A terrific 
hurricane burst upon them one afternoon, lashing the water 
into violent waves, and compelling the boatmen to flee for 
shelter. No sooner had they touched the bank than Arnot’s 
canoe, which had been gradually filling, sank. Nothing, how- 
ever, floated away, as the men had taken the precaution to 
bind the bundles to the canoe with cords. So long as the 
storm lasted they could do nothing but seek to shelter them- 
selves under a few bushes. Later on, the men went down to 
the sunken canoe, and, as the water was not deep, succeeded 
in removing the goods without much difficulty. Their plad 
of getting the water out of the canoe was simple but ingenious. 
They seized the canoe by the bow, jerked it forward, and thus 
set the water within in motion; then they pushed the canoe 
back, and the water flowed out. By repeating this process 
the canoe was emptied of about a ton of water in a few 
minutes, 


Arnot of Africa 17 


It was some days before Arnot could get his blankets dried 
after the soaking they had had in the river, for the storm was 
followed by heavy rains. When they arrived at the landing 
place of Lealui, Liwanika’s capital, it was dusk, and as the 
town was five miles away, they had to wait for the morning 
for porters from the king to carry the bundles. Without fires or 
shelter, and cold and hungry, the men were so cross that they 
were ready to fight with one another over anything. Some- 
thing had to be done, and the idea struck Arnot of starting a 
needle-threading competition in the dark. In Africa the men 
are more interested in needles and in sewing than the women. 
To the surprise of the natives Arnot succeeded in threading 
the needle every time it came round to his turn. Hour after 
hour passed, but none of them could do it. From sheer ex- 
haustion they at last gave up, none of them having discovered 
the trick which Arnot followed of holding the eye of the needle 
up to a bright star, 

The king had had a hut specially built for Arnot, but as it 
was finished only the day before he arrived, and the ground 
upon which it was built was wet, and the grass was fresh and 
reeked, he had a miserable start. Bouts of fever laid him 
prostrate every third or fourth day. 

To crown all, he had to witness trials for witchcraft taking 
place daily in front of his hut. A small company would gather 
and begin an animated discussion. This grew hotter and 
hotter. Then a large fire would be kindled, and a pot of water 
set thereon. The persons charged had to wash their hands in 
the water, and if, after twenty-four hours, the skin came off, 
the victims were burnt alive. First one, and then the other, 
dipped his hands in the fiercely boiling water, lifting some up 
and pouring it over the wrist. Twenty-four hours told its tale, 
and Arnot saw the poor fellows marched off to be burnt before 
a howling, cursing mob. 

One evening as Arnot was sitting enjoying the cool evening 
air at his hut door, two young men came running rapidly 

B 


18 Arnot of. Africa 


towards him. He saw that one was bound and that the other 
carried a short club in his hand. When well in front of the 
hut, and quite on the outskirts of the town, the man with 
the club gave his prisoner a sharp blow on the back of the 
head, killing him instantly. This was an execution, and the 
wild animals and vultures saw to the final disposal of 
the body. 


CHAPTER IV 


Durine the time that Arnot was amongst the Barotse he saw 
much of their cruel customs. A poor old woman who had 
always been kind to him was burnt one morning as a witch. 
She was accused of putting a crocodile’s tooth amongst the 
king’s corn in order to bewitch him, and, having been tried 
by the boiling-pot test, was condemned. Arnot believed it 
was a trick of some spiteful rascals who were her servants. 
These had prepared the corn for the king, and brought the 
tooth to one of the king’s head-servants. 

An old man was tested by the boiling pot, having been 
accused of bewitching the king’s brother. The king’s brother 
was so fat that walking was a difficulty to him. Imagining 
that his fat was leaving him he decided that this old man was 
the wizard who was causing it. Strange to say, the old man 
came out of the trial uninjured. Arnot saw him twice dip his 
hands into boiling water, allowing the water to run over his 
wrists as he lifted his hands out, and yet the next day his skin 
seemed quite natural. The only eause Arnot could think of 
for this was that, as the old man was nearing his century, 
his hands were as tough as tough could be. This case 
was, of course, flourished before Arnot as a great victory. 
It was a case under his very eyes proving that it did not 
condemn all. 

Arnot seldom journeyed up and down the river without 
meeting with some adventure. One evening he was benighted. 


Arnot of Africa IQ 


It became very dark, and his men were anxiously paddling 
up stream when a hippopotamus came after the boat in which 
Arnot was. The hippo was grunting fiercely and gnashing his 
teeth. The men pulled hard to get to shallow water, but the 
beast followed them. Arnot had no powder at hand for his 
gun. The men jumped out, but Arnot did not like to leave the 
boat to the mercy of the brute, so he took his steel and flint and 
struck fire in his face. This stopped the hippo, who at once 
turned back into deep water. 

On another occasion a troop of buffaloes was seen near the 
water, and as his men were very anxious for meat they started 
at once in pursuit, whilst Arnot stayed by the stuff, sitting 
quietly reading under his umbrella, By-and-by he noticed 
some curious objects on the tops of the trees, Here was an 
old shirt, and there was a little piece of white cloth fluttering 
in the breeze. The secret was soon discovered. The brave 
crew had overtaken the buffaloes, but after firing a few shots 
an infuriated old bull had attacked them, and they were com- 
pelled to climb the trees and remain there for some hours, as 
the bull took his stand at the foot, 

At one point on the river Arnot and his men had a very 
narrow escape from total destruction. They were pulling along 
against a heavy current, and close to a high precipitous bank, 
when suddenly the whole bank gave way. It fell into the 
river just alongside their boat, and with such force that some 
of the men were thrown out, whilst the boat filled with earth 
and water. Had they been but a few feet nearer to the shore 
they would all have been buried alive. The water underneath 
them was very deep before the landslip occurred, but imme- 
diately afterwards it was only a few feet in depth, and the 
current was diverted to the middle of the river, 


20 Arnot of Africa 


CHAPTER V 


WueEN Arnot met Liwanika in 1883, the king was about his 
own age. He gave him a hearty welcome, provided him with 
food in abundance, and ordered one of his own servants to 
live with him and serve him. Liwanika was pleasant looking, 
was always smiling, and was fond of everything European. His 
favourite pastime was making wooden spoons and drumsticks. 

Liwanika and his headmen decided to wait for Mr. and 
Mrs. Coillard, on the one condition that Arnot would remain 
till they arrived. This he gladly consented to do. Feeling 
he would be there for some time he decided to start a school, 
and interviewed the king on the subject. The king cross- 
questioned him as to what he had come to teach. Arnot spoke 
to him of sin, death, and judgment, and of God’s love in the 
gift of His Son. That, Arnot said, was his first and chief 
message, besides which he wanted to teach the children to 
read and write, also all about the world in which they lived, 
and other things which the white men knew, and which were 
good for all people to know. The king listened attentively 
and then said, ‘‘ Yes ! yes ! that is good, to read, to write, and 
to know numbers. But don’t teach them the Word of God ; 
it’s not nice; my people are not all going to die now. No! 
no! You must not teach that in this country. We know 
quite enough about God and about dying.” Arnot kept silent 
till the king’s excitement was over, and then said that they 
would talk again about it when the king had thought more. 

The school was started, and after a few months Arnot had 
further talks with his majesty. Liwanika never got so excited 
as before. Though the king had permitted Arnot to teach the 
children he was not very ready himself to hear the truth. The 
king would argue that as he did not know God’s laws, it would 
be unfair for God to call him to account. 

Another thing the king did not like to hear was the pos- 


Arnot of Africa 21 


sibility that in the next world he might find his position 
reversed. The African believes that according to the position 
a man has in this life, so will his place be in the next. Good- 
ness or badness, righteousness or sin, are not in their creeds. 
If a man dies a slave he will have a position similar to that 
when he is dead ; if a man dies a chief, he will remain a chief, 
and so on. When Arnot tried to explain to the king that a 
man’s position in this world had nothing whatever to do with 
his place in the next, that God dealt with the hearts of men, 
and not with their skins, that a poor slave might be seated in 
the palace of God, and a king or a chief shut out, he got very 
excited and forbade the missionary ever to say such a thing 
again, or ever to teach such things to his people. 

Arnot asked the king to allow him to preach to him and to 
his counsellors. But against this Liwanika steadily set his 
face. Had he not given Arnot his children to teach? The 
missionary’s words and stories were really only for children. 
But one day he asked whether there was anything in Arnot’s 
book suitable for kings. Arnot replied with emphasis that 
there was much in the Bible for kings and about kings. ‘Well! ”’ 
said Liwanika, “ if that is so, I will give you a proper hearing ; 
come on a certain day, and I will gather all my nobles, and we 
will listen to the message that your book has for a king.” 

When the appointed day came Arnot chose for his message 
the story of Nebuchadnezzar. Liwanika listened intently, 
turning constantly to his nobles to see if they were listening 
too. At last he could not contain his delight, but burst forth 
with, “* That is what I am going to be. I am the great Nebu- 
chadnezzar of Central Africa.” But when the preacher went 
on to speak of the downfall of the king of Babylon because of 
his pride and of his boastfulness, and how God had brought 
him down to the level of a beast having claws and eating grass, 
the king’s countenance fell, and, refusing to wait for the rest 
of the story, he marched indignantly away. For two months 
the king and his counsellors left Arnot severely alone. 


22 Arnot of Africa 


In the course of his dealings with Arnot Liwanika tried to 
get him married. The Barotse have a law that men must 
marry at a certain age. The king, and some of his headmen, 
thought their guest was setting a very bad example. They 
wanted to know if being unmarried was a part of his religion ; 
and when they found that it was not, they said he would have 
to marry. Without consulting Arnot the king appointed a 
daughter of his eldest sister to be his wife. Arnot was invited 
to a feast where all the king’s female relations and the friends 
of the damsel were assembled. The missionary went in perfect 
ignorance of what was to happen. The king’s sister presented 
him with a pot of mead, and then introduced her daughter to 
him as his wife, Arnot was thunderstruck, and began to boil 
with indignation, and to demand their meaning. By acting 
in such a way, he said, they were making a great mistake. 
The king could not understand the refusal of his handsome 
gift of a princess who was rich in cattle, slaves, and gardens. 
Arnot explained to him quietly that when he wanted to marry 
he would get a wife of his own nation, who would be able to 
speak with, and to teach, the Barotse women. This pleased 
Liwanika, who said, ‘‘ That will do. You must bring her the 
next time you go home, and I will be satisfied.” 


CHAPTER VI 


In April, 1884, the signs of a revolution, which was to drive 
Liwanika from his throne, were very clear, and Arnot was 
advised to leave the country, at least for a time. He had 
repeatedly asked the king to allow him to proceed up the 
Zambezi to the tribes living to the north, but Liwanika would 
not grant this request, These people were, he said, the dogs 
of the Barotse, and he would not allow missionaries to visit 
them. So Arnot decided to go west to the coast at Benguella, 
hoping, in the course of his journey, to get guidance concern- 
ing his future sphere. 


Arnot of Africa 23 


Senhor Porto, a Portuguese explorer and trader, was at 
Lealui at this time, and Arnot arranged to travel with him. 
Senhor Porto was at that time close on 70 years of age. He 
had been trading in the interior for over forty years, and was 
still hale and strong. He used to carry a cock with him in his 
travels to act as an alarum, the cock-crowing being the signal 
for the camp to awaken and prepare for the journey. 

The day before he left, Arnot was repairing some guns for 
the Barotse when, on firing a breechloader, the hinge of the 
block gave way, and his face and right eye were badly scorched 
by the explosion. As his riding ox had been sent off ahead by 
mistake the day before, Arnot had to be led for the first ten 
miles of his journey. His guide was a little boy, and together 
they waded, for most of the way, in water up to their knees, 
or pressed through thick bush. The next day, still with his 
eye bandaged, he mounted the ox, but had a rough experience. 
The footpath was bad and narrow, and the ox would not keep 
in this narrow way. Whenever it caught sight of the oxen of 
the caravan it would canter straight towards them, leaving 
either Arnot, or some of his clothing, caught by some of the 
‘ wait-a-bit ? thorn bushes. It was with difficulty that the 
traveller could retain his hat, The bandage on the eyes was 
torn completely off by the thorns, At last the ox was sent 
about its business, and Arnot lay down quite out of breath, 
and, as he confessed, sadly out of temper too. Some of the 
carriers urged him on, but offered him no help, At last a 
female slave, carrying some provisions on her head, gave him 
a cool drink, and some coarse bread, which refreshed him, 
and sent him on his way thinking how much greater was the 
generosity of woman, Through the constant application of 
a poultice made out of dried ox-dung, heated in a pan, Arnot’s 
eyes gradually became better, and he was able to tame the 
ox and to make it serviceable. 

For the most part the caravan passed through the native 
villages safely, but occasionally there were unpleasant and 


24. Arnot of Africa 


even dangerous incidents. In one large town the natives 
gathered around Arnot and his men, dancing, shouting, and 
yelling to them to stop, and, at the same time swinging their 
weapons threateningly over the heads of their visitors. They 
then seized hold of some of the carriers, and drove off Arnot’s 
ox. This caused Arnot to run back to protect the goods until 
Senhor Porto came up with some more men. Arnot was 
within an inch of having his head split open with an axe. When 
Senhor Porto arrived he sprang out of his hammock, and 
seized his gun. This made the ruffians fall back. 

At another place, after camp had been pitched for the night, 
some Baluchaze men came, evidently bent upon mischief. 
Getting nothing for their impudence they left. But in a short 
time, however, the long grass was on fire on all sides of them. 
All the men turned out, and as the flames approached the 
camp they met them and beat them out, and succeeded in 
stamping out the fire. They then called the men together 
and discovered that eight were missing. The grass had been 
set on fire to distract attention whilst they carried off all the 
stragglers they could catch. Calling for volunteers, Arnot 
procured from the bottom of his trunk a pistol and cleaned 
and loaded it. He soon had thirty smart young men ready 
to follow up the robbers. These were lined up, and, as all 
claimed kinship with the stolen men, it was felt that they 
could all be relied upon. Then Arnot thought, ‘ What about 
a short prayer ?’’ He fumbled with his pistol. He knew that, 
to the African mind, the two things were not in keeping. So 
after a struggle he hastened back to his box, and replaced 
the pistol. Then he knelt in the midst of his men and asked 
the Lord to give them back the stolen men. Then they set 
off. After a weary ten-mile journey over the hills they came 
upon the Baluchaze robbers. They found them ready to fight, 
as they thought they had come to recover the stolen men by 
force. Arnot made every effort to get between his own men 
and the Baluchaze, and, as a sign of his peaceful intentions, 


Arnot of Africa 25 


held up one of their native stools in front of the threatening 
crowd, and then sat down upon it, urging them to sit down 
and talk with him. The old chief, seeing the younger men 
fall back, began to chide his followers for being afraid, and 
rushing forward levelled his gun at Arnot, ready to fire. By 
this time Arnot’s men had their guns to their shoulders too. 
Arnot called upon them not to fire. The young men on the 
other side, fearing that their old chief would bring mischief 
upon them if he fired, laid hold of him, took his gun from him, 
and marched him off to a hut close by, in the most ignominious 
manner, with his hands behind his back. At last, one by one, 
they came near and sat down and talked the matter over. 
They said they were not angry with Arnot, but with other 
white men who were their enemies. They promised to bring 
the captives to the camp next day. They kept their word. 
The stolen men were brought back, and presents were ex- 
changed. What was at first a nasty affair ended in a friendly 
spirit. 

When approaching the Bihé country, to which the carriers 
belonged, one of the men insisted that another, who owed him 
something, should pay his debt before they entered their own 
country. The other refused to acknowledge the debt, and hot 
words led to blows. Seizing his gun, already loaded, the 
debtor pulled the trigger twice while aiming at the other’s 
breast. Fortunately, being a flint-lock, it missed fire on both 
oceasions. The creditor in self-defence rushed on his assailant 
with a club, and compelled him to drop his gun by breaking 
two of his fingers. The injured man then seized his knife from 
his belt, rushed at the man he had failed to shoot, and stabbed 
him, the knife entering rather deeply into the abdomen. By 
this time the men in camp came to the rescue and prevented 
further mischief by separating the antagonists. 

During his short stay in Bihé a civil war was on. The 
greater part of the nation was with the king to put down a 
young claimant to the throne. Everyone was commandeered, 


26 Arnot of Africa 


Even Senhor Porto was called out, but made the excuse that 
he was too old. Arnot happened to be at Bailundu, or he 
too would have been forced to join the camp. He had left his 
gun at Bihé. This was taken, so, as he said, though he himself 
was not fighting, his artillery was at work. 

Arnot had any amount of patience with the natives, Though 
they fell out with him a dozen times a day, he never would fall 
out with them. Because of this they said ‘‘Monare! He 
wouldn’t injure his greatest enemy.”’ One result of this atti- 
tude of his was that he had the satisfaction on one occasion 
of seeing a whole town turn out to flog a young man by making 
him run the gauntlet between two long rows of slim fellows 
armed with strips of hippo hide. This was on Arnot’s behalf, 
but not at his suggestion. The man had brought a charge 
against Arnot, and wanted him to give him so much cloth to 
shut his mouth, Arnot was indignant with him, and drove 
him out of his yard, The man then brought the matter up 
before the headmen, who soon found out that he was lying, 
and that he was a rogue and a thief, Arnot said he never saw 
the young men of a town go about a matter so heartily as the 
flogging of that young man, All day long they danced about 
with their strips of hide, showing how nicely they had given 
him a cut over the back, or just across the fleshy part, and 
boasting of the great things they would do to the next man 
who dared to injure Monare, 

On his way to the coast Arnot fell in with a company of men 
from the far interior. They were from the chief Msidi, of 
Garenganze (now called Katanga). They had come with a 
letter from Msidi to his brother-in-law, Coimbra, asking that 
white men might come to Garenganze, Of course it was as 
traders that Msidi wanted them, but Arnot felt he had some- 
thing better than trade in goods. Coimbra was delighted to 
hear of Arnot’s proposal, and so the decision was made which 
took Arnot to the place where his greatest work was to be 
done. 


Arnot of Africa 27 


CHAPTER VII 


“ArNoT arrived at Benguella in November, 1884. As he had to 
gather stores for his long journey, and to receive help from 
home for this enterprise, and also to wait and see if anyone 
would come from England to go with him into the interior, it 
was impossible for him to proceed for several months, He 
therefore returned to Bihé to help the American mission- 
aries there, and to gain experience. He was back again 
at the coast in April, and was, after many delays in 
securing carriers, able to start in June, 1885, When Arnot 
started in June for the interior there was no sign of any 
helper coming from England or Scotland, so he had to go 
alone. 

One of the greatest annoyances of this journey was the 
insistent demand, made by the chiefs of each tribe through 
whose territory Arnot passed, for presents as toll, 

Chiponga, the chief of Bihé, was very cross because Arnot 
gave him no rum, This, he said, was an open act of rebellion 
on his part, as he (the chief) had given an order that everyone 
coming into his country should bring him tribute in rum. 
Arnot gave him six pieces of cloth and a chair, This was 
slighted, “Take it away, Go!” he said, Arnot only an- 
swered softly, and thanked him for returning his cloth, and 
when he saw that Arnot had nothing more to give he consented 
to receive the cloth if fifty yards more and a jacket were 
added. 

The next morning this chief sent a man for another 
piece of cloth, sending at the same time a good-sized pig, 
which, Arnot said, was an excellent representation of him- 
self. 

To Chipongi, the chief at Belmonte, Arnot gave nine pieces 
of cloth. The next morning the chief sent for more presents, 
asking for a shawl and a shirt, and saying that Arnot must 


28 Arnot of Africa 


wait for his return from a hunt. It was five weeks later before 
Arnot was able to write: 


“The chief here, in a favourable interview, has given me, 
according to native custom, the road to the Garenganze. I 
got off very cheaply in only having to pay, as tribute, about 
100 yards of cotton cloth, but my stock was small.” 


But another fortnight passed before the chief really let 
Arnot go. By accident his yard and huts were burnt down, 
and he made this the excuse for sending to and demanding 
from Arnot some more cloth. ‘* The begging of these chiefs,”’ 
said Arnot, ‘‘ causes a most uncomfortable strain on one. It 
is the bane of travelling in Africa.” 

At Kapoko the experience was of a different order. Kapoko’s 
town was large and clean. The chief sent word to Arnot, on 
his arrival, that, as he was mourning the death of a child, he 
could not at once receive him but he must send his present. 
This he did, giving thirty-two yards of calico. A little later 
in the evening three of Kapoko’s headmen came to him with 
a story of great dissatisfaction to the effect that his present 
was too small. “ You surely thought,” they said to Arnot, 
‘that Kapoko was a very small man, seeing you sent him so 
small a present.’’ Arnot listened to their story with much 
attention. And then, in the most serious manner, began to 
assure them of the great respect he had for the king, that he 
knew that he was a very great man, and asked the royal mes- 
sengers to go back and assure his majesty that the smallness 
of the present spoke only of his smallness, but not of Kapoko’s, 
and that if he were only so much bigger he would think nothing 
of giving the king bales of cloth. The poor old men dropped 
their frowning visages and looked at each other in a stupefied 
way. Some of the young men, however, behind, could not 
hold themselves in, but burst out laughing, which was the sign 
for a general burst of laughter. They all parted a short time 
afterwards the best of friends, the king’s Prime Minister, who 


Arnot of Africa 29 


was the leading one of the group, leaving with the assurance 
that the king would send him a good fat pig on the morrow. 
The next morning the headmen returned, saying that Kapoko 
would give Arnot nothing less than an ox, and that he had 
sent to the Kwanza to procure one for him from one of his 
villages, and that it would arrive on the morrow. Arnot told 
them that he was very hungry, and that a sheep would be 
worth more to him that day than an ox the next. In the end 
a fat sheep was sent to Arnot’s camp. 

Just a month later Arnot records another experience at 
Kapwita. In the afternoon, he said, chief number one turned 
up with his little stool, his retinue, etc. He brought a goat 
and some meal. Arnot gave him six yards in return. A little 
later chief number two came along. He was a “ big man,” 
and every one who had come to the camp declared that he 
was their chief. Arnot gave him the usual tribute, regretting 
only his liberality to the former pretender. Towards evening, 
however, a third lot came along from Kapwita, the “ true 
chief,” “‘ the great chief.’ At this Arnot’s indignation began 
to come out. “Three chiefs for the one camp! Never!” He 
said he would not hear of it. After much discussion and 
quarrelling between his men and the people, he had to fork 
out again eight yards. Arnot said he had no doubt that 
number three was the real chief. But the whole thing was 
evidently planned. No device was forgotten or opportunity 
lost to delay and fleece him. 


CHAPTER VIII 


Tur journey from Benguella to Garenganze was marked by 
repeated troubles with carriers. Fresh groups had to be en- 
gaged for different stages of the way. The second day out 
nearly all the carriers repented of their bargain, and for different 
reasons withdrew. Arnot sent messengers out in various direc- 
tions to call for men, signifying his readiness to aceept offers 


30 Arnot of Africa 


for one day’s journey if only they would come. In another 
two days he had enough for a start to the next village. Rising 
early he took his tent down and bundled it up. But those who 
had promised to come for loads were very dilatory, and it was 
nearly mid-day before anything was moved out of the camp. 
The afternoon had almost gone ere the last loads were lifted, 
so progress was not possible that day beyond four miles. The 
day workers were paid off in the evening. These had thrown 
down their loads without provision for any storm that might 
burst in the night. And a storm did burst, with Arnot battling 
alone, in the pitch-black darkness and a drenching downpour, 
to get some kind of cover over the goods, 

It was another fortnight before Arnot could see his way 
to move again. He had then enough carriers for all his loads ; 
but the day he planned to start he found that all, whom he 
had engaged from that neighbourhood, had been ordered by 
their chief to leave him, It appeared that some of the interior 
traders were working behind the scenes, poisoning the minds of 
the chiefs against him, being afraid of an Englishman getting 
further into the interior than they had permission to go, They 
did not understand Arnot’s mission, and seemed to have a 
real fear of the Englishman’s power of “‘ swallowing trade.” 

When at last a move forward was made, individual carriers 
would cause anxiety. There was one whose load was not 
right, the next day it would be his rations, and then on an- 
other occasion he would have a thorn in his foot, and so would 
be unable to shoulder his burden. One evening a man, who 
was tying up his load, threw off a valuable tin of biscuits, 
saying he could not carry that, his load was already too 
heavy. Arnot had no option but to open it and divide some 
of the biscuits amongst other loads, and to give the rest 
away. 

The scratch caravan, which Arnot eventually gathered, 
showed every sign of discontent and impatience, demanding 
their payment in advance. But when he remembered how 


Arnot of Africa 1 


repeatedly men had withdrawn, or been recalled, he felt this 
would never do. 

Once in the midst of a forest four men laid down their loads 
and said they would not carry them any further. Arnot 
simply told them that if they would return they would have 
to go as they were with only their clothes around them, and 
that he had no intention of paying them for carrying his goods 
into the forest and leaving them there. He also threatened 
to take from them some wax that they had recently bought 
in a village, and said, too, that on his return to Bihé he would 
bring a charge against them. In all this the remainder of the 
carriers supported Arnot, so that the men were brought to 
their senses. 

When camped by the Lumese River the men clamoured 
for rations six days before they were due. They threatened 
and stormed, and at last ten of them packed up and started 
for the road by which they had come. Arnot, however, was 
not to be bullied. He signified his readiness to remain at that 
spot, and began to look around for building material. Later 
in the day the men returned. 


CHAPTER IX 


AFTER crossing the Kifumadshe River there was further 
trouble. All the men began to misbehave to the best of their 
ability, laying down their loads, demanding more rations, and 
then meat. ‘* Meat, Monare!” they said. ‘‘ Give us meat ; 
why don’t you hunt? You are starving us.” Arnold lifted 
his gun to go. He confessed he was sadly out of temper, and 
that he kept scolding them as he was tugging the cover off his 
gun. Suddenly it went off, shattering the point of his left 
forefinger. There was no one with him who could dress a 
wound, so Arnot thought the cleanest and safest way would 
be to cut off the top joint of the finger. He, therefore, got a 
lancet out of his case, and one of his men cut according to his 


32 Arnot of Africa 


directions. This, he said, effectually cooled his anger. At the 
same time it effectually calmed down his men, for the present 
at least. There was not a word about more rations or heavy 
loads. The next day they all did their best to please him, 
bringing wild fruit to him, and standing around with long 
faces. They acknowledged that it was because of their troubling 
that he got “‘ mad ”’ and shot off his finger. 

Eight days later, however, the grumbling broke out again. 
““ More rations!’ ‘‘ Starvation!” they cried. ‘ We cannot 
earry further.”? It was true that some of them were short of 
food. But it was their own fault. Nearly all the cloth which 
Arnot had divided out to them earlier, and with which they 
could have bought food, had been spent for vicious purposes. 
A band of ringleaders went through the camp, threatening to 
belabour with leather thongs the first to lift his load. Arnot 
said: ‘‘I left the matter entirely in the Master’s hands, being 
assured that if Katema (the place where the outbreak occurred) 
was the place to which He had sent me, He would not allow 
me to go further.” So he withdrew from the camp, never 
dreaming that a march could be made that day. While sitting 
on a log he suddenly saw a general move among the men ; 
they came out, one after another, and went off, scarcely 
saying a word. The truth was, the camp was literally 
alive with ‘army ants,’? which came rushing in from all 
directions, so it was no wonder that the carriers turned out 
so speedily. 

Having failed with Arnot, the men ceased to quarrel with 
him, and began letting out their spleen at one another. On 
the road, during the next two days, they had two free fights 
with sticks. | 

The next day there was a quarrel between the carriers and 
the people of the country. A little dog in the camp was ill 
and vomited. A native, who had come to sell meal, sat down 
beside the dog, and some of the vomit fell on to his arm. The 
carriers all declared it was the native’s fault, and would not 


Arnot of Africa 23 


pay for the offence, so he and his friends waylaid them on the 
road, caught a straggler, and took his gun from him. 

Another trouble that Arnot had to face with his men was 
their desire to purchase slaves. It was a wretched business, 
which he was utterly powerless to stop. They usually went 
off to the villages to do it. The Bihé traders said they would 
rather have slaves than ivory, and Arnot’s carriers wanted to 
return with slaves to sell to these traders. One evening he 
found his men in camp negotiating with some wild Bailundu 
for a woman slave and child. The child was a boy of five or 
six years. When Arnot came on the scene the woman had 
been bargained for, but the price of the child was disputed. 
At last the Bailunda said they would not sell the child, and 
were pulling him out of the arms of his mother, who was 
clutching him frantically. At this Arnot interfered and stopped 
the proceedings. The Bailundu took the hint, for before Arnot 
had time to look around they snatched up their cloth, includ- 
ing the disputed piece offered for the child, and cleared away 
from the camp. 

At Katema the chief sent Arnot a present of a woman slave, 
with infant in arms, a pitiable sight. The chief’s messengers 
said that food was to follow, but that Katema could not give 
to a white man a present of food only. Arnot asked them as 
a favour to take the woman back, and, if possible, to send her 
to her own village and among her own people, and never again 
to think of giving her away to strangers. The chief, however, 
did not quite understand his message, and thought he had 
refused the sle ve because she was full grown; and so he sent 
back word that the next day he would send Arnot a young 
boy or a girl instead. Though ill at the time Arnot determined 
to go to his village and explain the matter, which he did quite 
to the chief’s satisfaction. 


34 Arnot of Africa 


CHAPTER X 


WueEN journeying along the Shemoi River the natives were 
very friendly, and gave the ‘“‘ white man” a great welcome. 
This, though acceptable, took a form that was distracting. 
They were very fond of night dancing, and came along to the 
camp with drums. They danced, and drummed, and sang all 
the night through, till Arnot felt nearly demented. To have 
turned them off would have been a great incivility. In the 
morning he had to pay them four yards of cloth and 2 lbs. of 
salt for their pains in afflicting him. They gave him, however, 
two pigs, a goat, and some fowls. For two hours the next day 
the road was lined with people. No villages were to be seen, 
only trees and footpaths, but the people were there in crowds. 
They said that a white man had never passed their way before, 
and that Arnot was the first one they had ever seen. As his 
face and hands were something nearer brown than white he 
had to show them his arms. When he did so they all gave a 
shout “ Calunga!” (It is God), and whooped and whooped._ 
It was all so deafening that Arnot was glad to whip on his ox 
and get off. 

At the next camp the people promised to give another 
night’s serenading. Arnot said a cold sweat broke over him 
at the very thought of it. Travelling all day under the sun, 
which was then at its hottest, gave him a splitting headache 
which was only relieved by a night’s sleep. To have a blazing 
sun by day, and drums and singing all night, was calculated, 
he thought, to put an end to his earthly career. So he sent a 
present of meat to the town, beseeching them not to come to 
his camp. They contented themselves, therefore, with coming 
only half way, and there, just across the river, they danced 
and sang until the morning. They were an extraordinary 
people, being unable to restrain a little extra excitement ; it 
had to be drummed and danced out. A little farther on the 


Arnot of Africa os 


- people treated him in a similar way. As sleep was impossible, 
on account of five drums, and thirty lusty voices singing, 
Arnot sat up late writing out his diary for his mother’s reading 
He felt far from fresh in the morning, the sound of drums 
seeming to be in every chamber of his brain. 

The journey was not marked by many adventures with the 
wild beasts of the forests and the plains. Just as Arnot was 
dropping off to sleep one night he heard a prolonged ominous 
rustle among the dank grass and leaves that made his litter. 
He suspected that a snake, roused by the warmth of his body, 
was drawing closer to him. As soon as he awoke in the morn- 
ing he remembered his bedmate, and, with one spring, cleared 
both bed and bedding. Then, with the help of his boys, he 
fished his rugs away, and, after beating about with long sticks, 
a deadly black mamba, some six feet long, wriggled out, which 
they quickly despatched. 

When nearing the end of the journey Arnot started out early 
one morning in search of food. He had gone but a short way 
when he saw, up a valley, that sorhe animals were moving 
about in the long grass. Taking a round through the bush 
with one of his men,_he got up, by dint of careful stalking, 
close to the animals, when, to his surprise, he found himself 
in front of five full-grown leopards. He refrained from shoot- 
ing, as their flesh could not be of use. Four of the leopards 
cantered off at the first sight of the missionary, but the old 
one remained and seemed as if he would attack him. The 
leopard was swinging his tail and crouching as if for a spring. 
Arnot kept his ground calmly though only twenty yards from 
him, but with his rifle cocked. As soon, however, as the leopard 
saw his companions off at a safe distance, he trotted slowly 
after them, and then broke into a canter. 

Arnot reached the capital, now known as Bunkeya, where 
Msidi, the king, lived. On his way his heart occasionally 
misgave him as he heard repeatedly of the extra-tall, well- 
sharpened stake that Msidi had placed in the middle of his 


36 Arnot of Africa 


court-yard, on which to place the head of the first white man 
who should come into his country to spy out the store-houses 
of ivory and his mountains of copper. Though a white man 
had marched through a portion of the Garenganze before, 
Arnot was the first European to reach the capital. 

On the outskirts of the capital a messenger from the king 
brought him a small tooth of very white ivory to keep his 
heart up, and to show him that his (the king’s) heart was white 
towards him. | 

As it was not the custom to receive entire strangers at once, 
Arnot was kept waiting for two or three days whilst the ques- 
tion was being decided whether his intentions in coming to 
the country were good or bad, and whether his heart was as 
white as his skin. Diviners and doctors from far and near 
were employed for this purpose. All things turned out in 
Arnot’s favour. The diviners had nothing against him, and 
so were willing to obey their king’s command, and to unite 
in giving him a hearty welcome to Garenganze. 

Mukurru, as the capital was called, was not laid out as a 
town. It was a large piece of country with groups of huts. 
Each centre was the residence of one of the king’s wives. Of 
these he had 500. 

Arnot and his eight men were told to come in style, firing 
volleys as they marched. They reached the yard where the 
king was awaiting them. They found him to be an old-looking 
man with a pleasant face and a short beard, quite white. He 
rose from his chair and came forward to greet Arnot, folding 
his arms around him in a most fatherly way. Interviews fol- 
lowed on succeeding days, when Arnot tried to explain why 
he had come. Msidi had heard of Livingstone’s approach 
from the east several years before, and of his death at Ilala. 
Arnot explained that he, like Livingstone, was a man of peace, 
and that he had come from the same country and the same 
town. 

Arnot found the king a strange mixture. He was fierce 


Arnot of Africa 37 


and cruel as a soldier and in his ambition for power and gain. 
Hearing him talk of his wars, and seeing all around his yard 
human skulls, which were brought there in baskets as proof 
of his soldiers’ valour, the sensation crept over him of being 
in a monster’s den, And yet he was kind and generous, acting 
as a father over his people. Trays of food were brought into 
the courtyard, and the king would come down from his stool 
and himself deal out food to his people, giving special attention 
to the aged and decrepit. Arnot saw him take extra notice 
of a leper, and of a feeble-minded old woman ; and then imme- 
diately afterwards mix up, in a separate dish, some porridge 
and broth for Arnot’s dog, which was standing by. The king 
opposed all hashish smoking, and was not favourable to the 
use of tobacco in any form. He insisted upon his sons acquir- 
ing a knowledge of useful employments. Kalasa was quite a 
skilful worker in horn, making, out of the horns of large animals, 
powder flasks neatly mounted with copper and brass. An- 
other of Msidi’s sons was a professional blacksmith. Their 
livelihood did not depend upon these trades, but they were 
followed as accomplishments. 


CHAPTER XI 


ARNOT was successful in doctoring a favourite wife of the 
king’s, and Msidi was so pleased that he sent a hunter off to 
kill and bring in the flesh of a buffalo as his pay. A leprous 
woman was also greatly relieved by him through the applica- 
tion of erystal-caustic. He was called to see Kagoma, a chief, 
two days’ journey from the capital. Kagoma was suffering 
from a form of leprous sores, which had afflicted him for eight 
years. Five witches had been killed meanwhile, but without 
any effect on the sores. Arnot began to treat him with silver 
caustic, and he was greatly relieved at once, the sores drying 
up under the application. Medical practice was never regarded 
by Arnot as his chief work, but he found it a very valuable help, 


38 Arnot of Africa 


giving him access to the hearts of the people. He met with 
much success in it, and the people had confidence in him. 
That they did not trust their own witch-doctors was evident, 
for when Arnot himself was ill with fever the king sent him 
an urgent message not to take their medicines as they would 
kill him, 

While at the Lukuruwe Arnot had a narrow escape. He 
had been resting during the heat of the day, his bed being on 
the ground. When about to get up he reached out for his hat, 
intending to go outside, when whiz came a spear into his hut, 
cutting through the rim of his hat, which was in his hand, and 
sticking into the ground not three inches from his side. 

At another time he and a man were out alone in the woods 
when the call of a honey-bird attracted them. On going but 
a short way it halted on a tall tree. They were looking into 
the tree trying to find the honey, when from the grass which 
lay between them there sprang out a leopard, which bounded 
off. The wicked bird had led them to its lair. 

One night two of his men out hunting got benighted on the 
other side of the river. Night set in very dark indeed, and 
after waiting a long time for the absent ones, the men in camp 
crossed and made signals to guide them. Above the rushing 
of the river they presently heard their voices replying to them 
from the other side. Arnot ran down to the bank to guide 
them by his shouts, but, finding that his voice was not loud 
enough to make them hear, he called to his men in camp to 
come down so that they all could shout together. All accord- 
ingly left the camp and joined him. They had only shouted 
once or twice when they heard a great noise in the direction of 
the camp, which seemed to be alive with howling demons. 
The truth was that the wild animals of the forest had taken 
advantage of their absence, and had rushed in and were 
devouring the meat they found there. Some parts of a 
zebra were lying in the middle of the enclosure, and a family 
of hyenas, accompanied by two dog-leopards, were fighting 


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SAVING THE LARDER 


Arnot and his followers hearing shouts from the river went to investigate. A pack 
of hyenas and leopards seized the opportunity to raid the camp. The party hurried 


back, leaped the thorn fence and drove the animals off with loud shouts. 


(See p. 40.) 


4.0 Arnot of Africa 


and quarrelling over it. Action had to be taken at once. 
Having no fire, and being without guns in their hands, they 
could not remain out of their shelters. So, taking the lead, 
Arnold called to his men to follow and rushed at full speed 
back to the camp. Taking care to avoid the doorway, they 
sprang over the little brush barricade, and so alarmed the 
animals with their shouts and yells that they left the meat 
and fled. 

A remarkable adventure with a lion was met with on one 
of these journeys. All night they had been kept awake by 
these lions serenading them. The lads, three in number, had 
their work cut out to keep the bivouac fires burning. Next 
morning, when passing through a clump of long reedy grass, 
Arnot heard‘in front of him the low, angry growl of a lion. 
The man in front said it was a buffalo, and stopped and asked 
Arnot to pass his rifle to him so that he might shoot.it. Arnot 
urged him to push on, hoping to get his party by the spot. It 
was too late, however, for the brute charged. It made straight 
for the hindmost lad, who was carrying Arnot’s mat and 
blanket. Arnot ran back and succeeded in intercepting the 
lion, coming between him and the boy. In his spring the lion, 
therefore, fell a few paces short of his intended victim, but 
right before Arnot’s face, too close to allow him to use his 
rifle. The man and the three lads dropped their loads and 
were off like deer, leaving Arnot and the lion alone in the reed 
thicket, face to face. For a moment it was a question what 
the next scene would be. The beast was raging fiercely and 
would fain have sprung on him, but seemed to lack the nerve. 
Holding him hard with his eyes and slowly cocking his rifle, 
Arnot lifted it to his shoulder for a steady aim, when the lion 
suddenly gave in, his huge tail dropped, and, drawing his 
teeth under his lips, he made off. Arnot sprang after him, 
hoping to get a shot at safer range, but the grass was so dense 
that he could not sight him again, so he started in search of 
his companions. He overtook them several hundred yards on 


Arnot of Africa 41 


by the river’s brink, but not one would return for his load, so 
complete was their scare, although Arnot assured them that 
the lion had got clean away. The lad whose life Arnot had 
saved belonged to Bihé, and a young Bihéan said to his fellows 
that he would go anywhere with such a white man, who would 
throw his own body between a lion and a black lad of no 
account. 

A leopard seized and carried off Arnot’s dog from the very 
centre of his yard one evening at twilight. 

Arnot himself encountered a large animal one night just 
outside his hut door at eleven o’clock. It seemed to be wait- 
ing its opportunity to pounce upon someone, but Arnot tumbled 
back indoors and disappointed him. A few nights later, when 
sitting under the verandah of his house, he saw another of 
these creatures coming straight for his cottage, evidently 
attracted by the goats. Stepping indoors and picking up his 
gun, which stood loaded in a corner, he fired at him and the 
ball passed through his heart. It proved to be a full-grown 
hyena of man-eating kind. Arnot’s boys and neighbours had 
a dance round it next day. 


CHAPTER XII 


In the course of a few months Arnot found himself in possession 
of quite a number of children, whose care added considerably 
to his labours. These were children whose lives were en- 
dangered through the customs associated with the purchase 
of slaves. 

The question of these children puzzled Arnot a good deal, 
and often he did not know what to do. Little children had 
really no value in the slave market. A woman burdened with 
a child was a less desirable article of purchase than one with 
hands and shoulders free. Raiding parties would kill off all 
small children found among their captives. The body of a 
fine little boy was picked up beside the Arab camp. The 


42 Arnot of Africa 


owner had taken him the round of all likely purchasers (in- 
cluding, Arnot said, probably himself), and then thrust a 
spear through him as a useless burden on his hands. 

One of Msidi’s hunters came to Arnot’s house to say that 
there was a troop of antelopes out in the plain to the north of 
the capital, and urged him to go at once with him to the spot. 
As he and his boys were in need of food at the time Arnot 
started for the plain with this man as his guide. They found, 
however, that the herd had gone further away. Following on 
for some time they came up to them about ten miles from the 
town. Arnot succeeded in stalking the herd, getting to within 
a hundred and fifty yards of them, and from behind a small 
tree he opened fire. Although he had only five cartridges in 
his belt three of the antelopes were brought down, They 
were about the size of oxen, and splendid for eating. Two of 
them lay together, and the third was about one hundred yards 
off. By this time the sun was fast disappearing, but Arnot 
felt that, considering the state of his larder at home, he could 
not leave all this meat in the plain. He therefore sent off his 
companion to the village for fire, and to bring more cartridges, 
and some men to cut up and to carry the meat back. Arnot 
remained by the carcases, armed only with a long hunting 
knife, having no ammunition for his rifle. Night had scarcely 
set in when he heard in the distance the whoop of a hyena, ~ 
which was the signal for all night prowlers to gather round. 
Arnot determined to march up and down and, if possible, to 
hold his own against them. Unfortunately there was no moon. 
It was a pitch-dark night, and he could only hear the animals 
as they came walking round in the dry grass. Having no fire, 
he was compelled to keep shouting at them, making as much 
noise as possible, to keep them from the carcases of the ante- 
lopes. The beasts seemed to increase in number, and feeling 
unable to defend all his spoil, Arnot gave up one animal to the 
hungry visitors, hoping that would satisfy them, and that 
they would leave him in peaceful possession of two. Feeling 


Arnot of Africa 4.3 


the cold intensely he took out his hunting knife, skinned one 
of the antelopes, rolled himself in the borrowed hide and lay 
down on the ground. But soon he heard the stealthy tread 
of some animal coming towards him. Springing instantly to 
his feet he rushed to the place where he had left one carcase, 
and found that in the course of an hour these hungry brutes 
had devoured it, and were now preparing to pounce either 
upon him or the other two antelopes. By dint of rushing up 
and down and shouting for hours, he managed to keep them 
off. About three in the morning some men came, bringing 
fire with them, and he got a little sleep. The daylight 
revealed, by the footprints, that his companions had been 
five large hyenas, and three cheeta or dog-leopards. Not 
only had they cleaned off every atom of flesh and bones of 
their antelope, but they had licked the very ground clean of 
blood. 

Early in 1888, Arnot started for the coast and home. His 
seven years’ travelling in Africa had made him famous. He 
was quite ‘‘one of the lions of the season.” Fame was not 
sought by Arnot, but it had come to him. But his method of 
travelling was so simple. Practically unarmed and alone, and 
with a very slender equipment, he had penetrated new regions, 
and had helped to make clearer the river system of Africa, 
showing the great divide between the Congo and the Zambezi 
Rivers, and identifying the sources of these. The Royal 
Geographical Society honoured him by making him a Fellow. 
It also presented him with a medal for his discoveries in con- 
nection with the Zambezi, and awarded him the Cuthbert Peak 
grant in recognition of his seven years’ travel. 

A great impetus was given to missionary work through the 
meetings he addressed, and also by the publication of his first 
book. This was called ‘‘ Garenganze,”’ and gave an account 
of his seven years’ travels. Twelve volunteers were accepted 
for work in the field opened up by Arnot’s explorations, and 
returned with him to Africa in March, 1889. 


44 Arnot of Africa 


During his six months’ stay in England Arnot became en- 
gaged to Miss Harriet Jane Fisher of Greenwich, and she 
returned with him as his wife, with the twelve mentioned 
above. 


CHAPTER XIII 


Tue story of Arnot from this point takes on a different colour. 
Hitherto his African experiences had been novel and unique. 
With the exception of Dr. Livingstone, probably no white 
man had travelled in quite the way he did. Like the great 
Doctor, Arnot had gone alone and unarmed, except for the 
purpose of shooting game, He had been a pioneer. No white 
man had shared his adventures and anxieties. Now he was to 
go with others. Mission stations were to be established. His 
story is merged with that of his fellow workers. He was the 
leader, the senior, the one upon whom all leaned, whose counsel 
ranked the highest, but still the story is not his story alone. 
And as Arnot was a humble man, telling more of what his 
companions did than of what he did himself, there is not so 
much in the subsequent journeys to record as concerning his 
first great and adventurous journey. 

We have said little about Arnot’s health, but his letters 
and diaries during his first journey speak of frequent bouts 
of fever. These left their mark upon him; they so 
undermined his constitution that he was seldom able to 
persevere to the end in any African project upon which his 
heart was set. 

The party of fourteen which was farewelled from England 
at a great meeting in the Exeter Hall, London, in March, 1889, 
went to Benguella in two sections. Arnot went with the first 
to prepare the way for the march into the interior. The old 
difficulty of collecting carriers faced him again. 

Arnot proceeded inland to arrange for carriers. At the 
Chivulu country, which was eleven days’ journey from the 


Arnot of Africa 45 


coast, there were difficult negotiations to go through with King 
Ekwikwi. This great man was able to block the caravan road 
for a year or two at a time, and only by paying a heavy black- 
mail was it possible for the Portuguese to take their ivory and 
rubber to the coast. When Arnot arrived at Ekwikwi’s war 
camp, all was drunkenness and brag. There were great swelling 
words as to the powers of Ekwikwi, and of how the white man 
was tributary to him. Arnot was not able to make any pro- 
gress in the first interview. He felt he had to settle down 
patiently to the difficult task of softening the king’s hard 
heart. Amongst the presents given to Amot upon leaving 
England was a very fine hammock from a friend in Demerara. 
When Ekwikwi saw Arnot hang this hammock up he coveted 
it eagerly. So the next day when Arnot again pressed his 
request, he gave the hammock to the king. It was a most 
effective gift. Ekwikwi granted all he asked. 

To collect carriers, Arnot toiled about from village to village 
on horseback, sometimes covering sixty miles a day. One 
night would find him lying curled up by a fire in a corner of 
a native hut, with seven or eight long black fellows stretched 
out all round him, and the next night he would be making the 
most of some deserted camp in the bush. 

It was September Ist, four months after arriving at Ben- 
guclla from England, that Arnot was back again at the coast 
with 180 men. This looks to be a large supply of carriers. 
But think of what was wanted. Each man would carry a 
load of sixty pounds. There were fourteen Europeans for 
whom everything needful for a stay in the interior had to be 
taken. For a considerable portion of the journcy these Euro- 
peans would have to be carried in hammocks. Then money 
would not circulate in the interior. Things would be bought 
with cloth, and bulky bales of these would have to be taken. 
Then there were tents and bedding for cold nights on the hills, 
cooking utensils, and food for the long stretches of barren 
country where no provisions could be bought, changes of 


46 Arnot of Africa 


clothing, tools for building houses, or rather huts, medi- 
cine, ete. 

The journey inland was full of sorrow. Two of the lady 
missionaries had attacks of fever after a few days’ travelling, 
and the carriers, finding that they could not continue the 
journey on the day appointed, became demoralized. Many 
of them refused to go to Bihé, and fresh men had to be obtained 
to take their places. | 

A part of the policy decided upon was to establish a series 
of mission stations at intervals to Garenganze. These stations 
would make something of the nature of a line of communica- 
tion. The first site fixed upon was Kwanjulula, in the Bihé 
country. After hut building had been proceeding here for 
about two months, the king, Chindunduna, declared himself 
suspicious of so many white people coming to his country. 
He sent a letter to Kwanjulula commanding the missionaries 
to withdraw. This created a serious state of things. The 
letter was spread before the Lord, and the missionaries com- 
mitted themselves to Him for protection and guidance. The 
next morning Arnot’s old friend, Senhor Porto, arrived at the 
camp in a very excited state, saying that an army was coming 
to plunder the missionaries, and to drive them out of Bihé, 
In a short time the army came. It consisted of a company 
of the king’s young men, in charge of three captains. Two 
of these captains Arnot knew. One was named Chikuyu. 
Arnot had met him on his first journey. Chikuyu then was 
in charge of a trading caravan from the interior, and had been 
attacked and plundered by a section of the Lovale tribe. 
Arnot found him detained as a prisoner in the village of the 
chief, who had robbed him of everything. With a small gift 
of cloth Arnot purchased his freedom, and Chikuyu was able 
to return to Bihé. He professed himself under life-long obliga- 
tion to his white friend. When Arnot therefore saw Chikuyu 
at the head of the army he went forward to greet him. Chikuyu 
replied to the greeting with a downcast look, and then said, 


Arnot of Africa 47 


with all the authority he was able to command: ‘* We have 
been sent by the king to enforce his letter ordering you all to 
leave Bihé at once.” Arnot replied, ‘‘ The king has sent the 
wrong men. Had he intended doing us any harm he would 
have sent strangers and not friends. The king has only sent 
you to talk over the matter with us. Chikuyu,’’ he added, 
‘* you are responsible for the conduct of the warriors you have 
brought with you. You had better order them to sit down 
together there (pointing to a corner of the yard), and I will 
have some food brought for them while we talk matters over.” 
Chikuyu did as he was told. Three goats were handed over 
to the young men, whilst Arnot prepared some food hastily 
for the three captains. Whilst keeping them waiting, the 
reply to the king’s letter was written. Those African braves, 
like a wild beast missing the prey in his first spring, had no 
longer any heart for plundering the camp. Chikuyu pleaded 
with his fellows against doing so, saying that he was sure the 
king had had his ears filled with lies against them. A com- 
promise was at last arranged. Arnot gave a handsome present 
of calico for the king, and presented each warrior with four 
yards of check shirting. Then they were all made comfortable 
for the night. The next morning they departed in good order 
without having robbed the missionaries of even a pin. 

As soon as the king’s young men had taken their leave, a 
number of smaller chiefs from the neighbourhood took the 
opportunity of making a demonstration in the missionaries’ 
favour. Finally a big palaver was held, and two chiefs were 
appointed to go to the capital to contradict the lies spoken 
against their white men. 

The day after Chikuyu had returned to the king, a messenger 
came to the camp calling Arnot to the capital. With his wife, 
and Senhor Porto, Arnot went to the king’s town. They were 
received with ‘‘ white chalk,” meaning acquittal, and not with 
‘red chalk,” which would have meant guilt. The king gave 
an ox for food as a token of good feeling, giving also an open 


48 Arnot of Africa 


road to the Garenganze, with permission to collect carriers 
for the journey. This trouble being thus well got over prepara- 
tions were made for the journey to the interior, when a fresh 
political disturbance broke out. 


CHAPTER XIV 


A PorTUGUESE expedition, consisting of 150 soldiers, under 
Captain Conceiro, and bound for the Okovango River, arrived 
in Bihé. The king refused permission for it to pass through 
his country. Senhor Porto did his best to allay his fears, but 
without avail; and seeing nothing but trouble before himself 
and his countrymen, he settled up his affairs, spread thirteen 
kegs of gunpowder on the floor of his house, and opening one 
keg and lying at full length on the other twelve, struck a match 
and deliberately ignited the powder. The explosion threw 
him to a great height into the air through the roof of his house ; 
the poor old man died after twenty-four hours. By this time 
the chief Chindunduna was collecting his forces and threaten- 
ing the Portuguese camp. Captain Conceiro immediately with- 
drew, his camp was ransacked by Chindunduna, and the 
Portuguese settlements of Belmonte and Boavista were plun- 
dered and destroyed. 

The Portuguese then became suspicious of the missionaries, 
seeing that these had been allowed to remain safely in Bihé 
whilst their own subjects were driven from the country. Arnot 
received an official letter from the Captain-General of Bihé 
and Bailundu, stating that the Portuguese officials at the coast 
were in possession of sufficient evidence to convict Arnot of 
being in league with Chindunduna, the rebel chief of Bihé. 

This decided Arnot to return at once to Benguella. At 
Bailundu, on his way to the coast, Arnot was told by the 
American missionaries that a warrant was out for his arrest. 
It was, however, so ordered that the very day he reached 
Benguella the Governor-General of Angola arrived from Loanda 


Arnot of Africa 49 


to talk over Bihé matters with the Governor of Benguella. 
Both of these gladly listened to his story, and acquitted him 
of all the charges brought against him. Arnot was asked to 
protect the children of Senhor Porto and other Portuguese 
subjects in Bihé, and was informed that a well-armed force 
had left Mossamedes to chastise the king of Bihé, and that 
the officer in charge, Captain Paiva, was commissioned to 
make full enquiries into the cause of the revolt. 

Arnot hurried back to Bihé and was able to help in the 
settlement of the dispute. When Captain Paiva’s force arrived, 
fire and sword were scattered throughout the country. Villages 
were burnt, and flying natives were shot down by mounted 
troops. Arnot made an imploring appeal to the chiefs over 
the northern district of Bihé to combine in some way to save 
their country, for every moment was of value. In twelve 
hours’ time over twenty chiefs had collected in the yard of 
the Mission Station at Kwanjulula to discuss the matter. 
Arnot wrote to Captain Paiva on behalf of these leaders, asking 
for an eight days’ truce, accompanied with their promise to 
do their utmost to capture and deliver up Chindunduna. The 
captain in his reply thanked Arnot for all that he was doing 
to prevent further bloodshed, and promised the assembled 
chiefs a nine days’ truce. In six days the native force, 1200 
strong, returned with the runaway king. Peace was at once 
declared, and arrangements were made for the permanent 
occupation of Bihé by a Portuguese military force. 

Arnot remained at Kwanjulula for about two years till the 
work there was developed and firmly established, then seven 
new workers coming from Great Britain, Canada, and Demerara, 
he proceeded with some of these to Nana Kandundu. This 
was further inland, and would make another link in the chain 
of stations to be established between the coast and the Garen- 
ganze. 

Nana Kandundu, after whom the town was named, was a 


chieftainess, an unusual thing in Africa. She seemed very 
D 


50 Arnot of Africa 


doubtful of the intentions of the missionaries, and was fearful 
lest her own position of authority should be undermined. 
After several visits, however, to the missionaries’ camp she 
became more assured. One evening she came with an ox, and a 
number of her most important people. She said that if Arnot 
would kill this ox then and there, with her hand resting on 
one of his (Arnot’s) shoulders, and her husband’s hand on the 
other, all her fears would be dispelled, and she and the whites 
would be friends for ever. Arnot gladly agreed to her proposal, 
and the ceremony of shooting the ox was gone through, greatly 
to the satisfaction of Nana and her people. Arrangements 
were at once made for a site for a station and the building of 
huts, and Arnot was able to return to Kwanjulula with the 
feeling that another centre from which the message of God’s 
love would circulate had been established. 

After Arnot’s return to Kwanjulula his health broke down, 
and he had to return to England. He and Mrs. Arnot, and a 
little girl born to them in Africa, reached the homeland in 
June, 1892. 

Arnot’s health was such that he was unable to return to 
Africa till two years had passed, Those two years in England, 
however, were not passed idly. Missionary conferences were 
instituted, which deepened the interest in the work, and re- 
sulted in more workers being forthcoming. The supplies for 
the field were sent forward under Arnot’s direct supervision. 
A short visit was paid to the United States, and interest 
awakened there. 

But a new state of things was obtaining in Africa. The 
long line of communication of 1200 miles from Benguella to 
Garenganze was being imperilled. Tribal warfare was con- 
stantly blocking the route. The Congo Free State Government 
had occupied Garenganze. Msidi had been killed. The natives 
turned against the missionaries, regarding them as the cause 
of the white occupation. The workers at Bunkeya, Msidi’s 
old capital, had found it better to move further east. They 





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A STRANGE CEREMONY 


By shooting the ox while the Chieftainess rested her right hand on Arnot’s left 


shoulder and her husband laid his on the other shoulder, a valuable friendship was 
established, 


52 Arnot of Africa 


had established themselves upon the shores of Lake Mweru 
with a host of adherents, men, women, and children, who had 
accompanied them. The isolated missionaries hoped that from 
the new site it might be possible to open communications with 
the east coast. In the meantime they were greatly in need of 
supplies, and were feeling the pinch keenly. Arnot felt that 
these circumstances constituted a new call to him to pro- 
ceed again to Africa, first to take supplies to the stranded 
workers, and secondly to ascertain the possibilities of the 
east coast route, and its possible advantages over the west 
coast. 

Leaving Mrs, Arnot and two children in Liverpool, Arnot 
started on his third journey to Africa in August, 1894. He 
was accompanied by a new worker, Mr, Benjamin Cobbe. 
They proceeded to Durban, Natal, calling at Cape Town and 
Port Elizabeth on the way. From Durban they proceeded 
to the mouth of the Zambezi at Chinde. From Chinde to 
Tanganyika they went as passengers of the African Lakes 
Corporation entirely at their own risks, as the Arabs were 
giving the British Administration a good deal of trouble. 

As they neared Lake Nyasa, via the Shire River, they had 
to run the gauntlet of one or two hostile villages. At one point 
they had to land, as the channel of the river was completely 
blocked by hippos. Arnot shot one, hoping that the others 
would move off. But the old bull of the herd landed in a rage 
and came running along the sandy shore of the river to destroy 
their boat. Arnot ran to meet him with his rifle, Cobbe follow- 
ing with cartridges. The first few shots seemed of no avail ; 
they glanced off the hippo’s great skull; so, as a last effort, 
Arnot knelt on one knee, and was thus able to sight his chest 
and to plant a bullet in it that must have pierced the heart, 
for he rolled over sideways and fell into the river. When the 
natives began to cut up the hippo, throwing the offal into the 
river, with parts of the meat they did not want, a most extra- 
ordinary sight was witnessed. About twenty large crocodiles 


Arnot of Africa 53 


came racing through the water from all directions and fought 
over the meat. 

From Tanganyika the travellers had to bore their way 
through a perfect tangle of rubber vine, the men creeping on 
their hands and knees and pulling their loads after them. 
Grassy plains then opened up as they journeyed westwards. 
The bones of thousands of buffalo and other animals lay in 
patches here and there, victims of the terrible rinderpest that 
had swept the country of cattle and game from Uganda south- 
wards. Further on they came to a pool of water in a dried-up 
river bed, with about fifty hippo in it, all trying to keep them- 
selves wet until the rains should fall again. An Arab invited 
them to spend the night in his boma rather than expose them- 
selves to the lions, which, owing to the death of the game, had 
turned to man eating. Indeed lions, zebras, and elephants 
seemed to have the country to themselves. One day they 
came on a troop of lions that had pulled down a young cow 
elephant. The lions were driven off, and the meat and tusks 
of the elephant secured. 


CHAPTER XV 


ARNOT was able to stay only about two months at Mweru. 
His old troubles returned. Very reluctantly, after a very trying 
bout, when it was doubtful at one point whether he would pull 
_ through, he came to the conclusion that his African days were 
numbered, and that his work was in stirring up missionary 
interest at home, and overseeing the forwarding of supplies, 
etc. He started on the return journey in February, 1895. A 
serious illness overtook him en route, and exceptional storms 
had to be faced on both Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa, the 
one on the former lake threatening to sink the steamer on 
which he crossed. 

Medical advice, taken on his return home, made it quite 
clear that he must not think of returning to Africa for a long 


54 Arnot of Africa 


time. Nine years passed by before Arnot felt the way opening 
up for him again. One outstanding event of this prolonged 
absence from Africa was a visit to British Guiana in South 
America, where many assemblies of brethren were interested 
in the work started by Arnot in Africa. Another event was a 
tour on the Continent of Europe. This immediately preceded 
the fourth journey to Africa, By this time conditions were 
more settled, and the west coast route to the interior was the 
one by which the missionaries came and went from the Garen- 
ganze, 

It was in July, 1904, that Arnot with some new workers, 
was back at Bihé, A month later he was at Ochilonda, to 
which place the work started by him at Kwanjulula had been 
moved. Here he received a great welcome, and remained for 
a few months taking his share of the regular mission work. 
The developments since he was there twelve years before were 
full of encouragement. The people had advanced in cleanliness 
and in clothing, Numbers of converts had become evangelists ; 
and Africans were now being used for the conversion of Africans. 
The whole district around Ochilonda, within a radius of twelve 
miles, was linked up by well-made roads and bridges, allowing 
of bicycle and donkey travelling by night or day. These roads 
led to twenty-five schoolrooms and preaching stations, all 
built and supported by the native church. The central build- 
ing held over 800 people. 

How to teach the native Christians honest trades was a 
great problem. One effort in this direction greatly interested 
Arnot. The art of sawing planks out of trees is of course the 
foundation of all carpentry in a new country, and many of the 
young men had been taught the use of the pit saw. Several 
of them set up as rough door, window and furniture makers. 
But making coffins gradually grew to be the most profitable 
branch of these little businesses. The Ovimbundu were ac- 
customed to make much of funerals. The body was usually 
kept for weeks enclosed in a faggot of sticks, whilst quantities 


Arnot of Africa gi 


of beer were brewed, and friends had time to assemble from 
a distance. Then with feasting and drinking and firing of 
guns the body was carried down to the plain or valley where 
the chief fetish doctor would question the corpse. Now all 
this ceremony, with its days and weeks of entertaining, meant 
expense, and often spelt ruin to the relatives. The happy 
idea, therefore, took hold of the heathen mind that it would 
be more economical, and certainly not less respectable, to be 
buried in a white man’s coffin. The Christian young men 
who found employment in this way were also expected to 
bring the “‘ box” along, and finish the matter by holding a 
religious service at the grave. In this way the Gospel was 
carried into the strongholds of heathenism. 


CHAPTER XVI 


Four journeys were made from Johannesburg to Central 
Africa by Arnot between the years 1909 and 1914. Adventures 
were less and less frequent, as the country was becoming more 
settled. 

He gives the following amusing account of an incident with 
his carriers :— 

“When about half-way on my journey from the coast to 
the Luba country, one morning my carriers refused to move 
out of camp. One of their number, who acted as spokesman, 
stubbornly insisted that if they went on they would all die of 
hunger, and even if they escaped hunger the hostile interior 
tribes would kill them, therefore for the sake of their bodies 
_ they refused to budge. The leader adopted a specially aggravat- 
ing attitude, sitting upon a log opposite his untouched load, his 
face stolid and defiant. He was the picture of African stubborn- 
ness, and I must confess to becoming slightly irritated myself, 
as everything depended upon these men going on, and to go 
they stubbornly refused. 

“As a relief from my overcharged feelings, walking-stick 


56 Arnot of Africa 


in hand I strode up and down the camp, passing each time 
this stubborn leader, seated on a log at the top of a high bank. 
Each time I passed him I became more disgusted. Finally, 
moved by a sudden impulse, I gave a poke with my walking- 
stick, fair at his bare, brown stomach. Doubling up like a 
clasp knife to avoid the stick, he lost his balance, rolled back- 
ward off his log, went end over end down the bank like an 
animated, brown football. The other carriers first looked 
startled, then amused, then, African-like, broke into a roar 
of laughter as their discomfited leader came crawling sheepishly 
up the bank on hands and knees. They roared with laughter, 
clapped their hands, doubled up with laughter, struck the 
ground with the palms of their hands, and, in short, gave 
themselves up to characteristic African risibility. Without 
a word the thoroughly abashed leader took up his load and 
strode out of camp. The others followed without a word, and 
the situation was saved. 

** Nothing cures African hostility or stubbornness like a 
good laugh.” 

The following incident Arnot used to relate with a hearty 
laugh at his own expense ; 

**One day I was travelling in the Belgian Congo, near a 
large river, when I spied a large crocodile asleep on the sand 
in the warm sunshine. Not willing to leave it in peace, and 
still more unwilling to expend a precious cartridge in shooting 
him (for my cartridges were few and precious in those days), 
I asked one of my native boys to lend me his native spear. 

‘“* Hesitating, apparently doubting the advisability of such 
a prank, he finally gave me the spear, and I stole up carefully 
alongside the sleeping crocodile. Poising the light, native- 
forged spear, I prepared for a fatal thrust at the sleeping 
monster. Suddenly my feet slipped, and I fell fairly alongside 
of the sleeping crocodile. 

“It was hard to decide which of the two of us was most 
surprised, or felt most uncomfortable at our unusual position. 





A SURPRISED PORTER 


The leader of a revolt of the porters was seated on a log on the brink of a declivity. 
Arnot was so irritated with him that as he was passing him he gave him a poke with 
his walking-stick, which so surprised the man that helost his balance and fell back- 
wards amidst the laughter of his companions, This ended the trouble, 


58 Arnot of Africa 


The crocodile scurried for the river, and I beat a hasty retreat 
in the opposite direction, 

““My natives controlled themselves for a moment, then 
broke into a hearty laugh, in which I joined.” 

It was not till January, 1911, that Mrs. Arnot was able to 
go to Central Africa for the second time with her husband. 
Though now 52 years of age, and much weakened in health, 
Arnot could not resist the appeal which the vision of hundreds 
of miles of native territories, wholly without the Gospel, made, 
a vision which kept him awake night after night. Though a 
goodly number had gone forth, and many stations had been 
established, it all seemed as nothing to the fields to be occupied. 
So, though practically an old man, he determined to try once 
more to pioneer. 

The site fixed upon for the new undertaking was the Ka- 
bompo Valley, in Liwanika’s territory, at the junction of the 
Zambezi, the Kabompo, and the Lungebungu rivers. These 
three meet at one point like the three toes of a hen’s foot, and 
from this juncture 1000 miles of water are navigable by canoes. 

Having arrived at the junction of the three rivers, Arnot 
pitched on a site and built a three-roomed house, hoping to 
spend the remainder of his days evangelising amongst the 
Bambowe, with occasional short exploratory trips by canoes 
up the Lungebungu. The Bambowe responded delightfully to 
the visits of Arnot and his wife. Several young men gave them 
much promise. But all these activities were brought to a 
close by a sudden illness which overtook Arnot. His wife had 
to take charge, and in a few days they were gliding down the 
Zambezi in a canoe. There was nothing for it but a return to 
Johannesburg. 

After resting for several months in his home in the Transvaal, 
Arnot made a second attempt in 1912 to take up the work in 
the Kabompo Valley, but was again turned back by another 
serious illness when only a short distance on the railway journey. 
Loath to relinquish the work to which he had devoted his life, 


Arnot of Africa 59 


Arnot decided to visit the homeland to consult with specialists. 
This trip occupied the greater part of the year 1913, Upon 
returning to Johannesburg, he met Mr. Suckling from Kalene 
Hill, and Mr. T. L. Rogers from home. These he found willing 
to go with him to the Kabompo, so on November 21st, 1913, 
a third start to the new station was made. With sundry 
adventures the three missionaries reached their destination on 
January 11th, 1914. The little house built two and a half 
years earlier was exactly as it had been left, nothing had given 
way. The very next day Arnot began school with seven little 
boys. By the 17th the pupils were increasing by leaps and 
bounds. Arnot’s time was filled from morning to night with 
such duties as baking, cooking, buying, talking, gardening, 
farming, house-repairing, store-keeping, butter-making, and 
teaching. But on the 25th he was smitten down as by a sword- 
thrust. An internal trouble from which he had suffered in 
years gone by suddenly attacked him again. After recovering 
from the first shock, he was taken in a barge which travelled 
down the Zambezi by night as well as by day, covering a five 
days’ journey in two days, to Mongu, where medical help and 
nursing were obtained, The journey home was taken by 
stages, and was one in which much pain was experienced. 
Several weeks of suffering faced the tired missionary on his 
return to Johannesburg. As he became worse, it was decided 
that nothing but a serious operation could relieve him. This 
was performed, and all seemed to be going well, when a heart 
attack supervened, and he gradually sank, passing away on 
May 15th, 1914, at the age of 55. 











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Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 


IAN Ho yto12 it goes | paetN 


By Commander arse ae | R.N. 


Extra Crown 8vo. Illustrated in Colour. 5s. nett. 





Yan and Travers attack a Turkish Looter. 


(Specimen illustration from Ian Hardy, Midshipman.) 


Ian Hardy is the hero of each volume in the series of stirring books by Commander E. Hamilton Currey 
in which he describes the adventures of a naval officer from the earliest stages of his career. 

The Yorkshire Observer writes of these books:—** Commander E. Hamilton Currey, R.N., is becoming a 
serious rival to Kingston as writer of sea stories. Just asa former generation revelled in Kingston’s doings 


of his three heroes from their Middy days until they become Admirals all, so will the present-day boys read 
with interest the story of Ilan Hardy.”’ 


The volumes in the Ian Hardy Series are:— 
1. IAN HARDY, NAVAL CADET. 3. IAN HARDY, SENIOR MIDSHIPMAN. 
z iAN HARDY. MIDSHIPMAN. 4. IAN HARDY, FIGHTING THE MOORS. 


There will he followed by subsequent volumes. < ide 





